Somatic Experiencing: Healing Trauma Stored in the Body

Have you ever felt like you failed out of treatment or felt that therapy wasn’t helpful? If you have,  it can be easy to assume you were the problem. But, give yourself some grace. While talking to any therapist is often a huge step, not all of us are created equal. We all have different approaches, demeanors, specialties, and experiences. Instead of blaming yourself for a less than helpful therapeutic experience, you can try taking a look at a therapist with a different approach. 

When clients come to me with a history of feeling shamed, unseen, or let down by therapy, my first question for them is usually, “Have you ever experienced any trauma?” Oftentimes, the answer is yes. Then, I follow up with my second question, “Were the therapists you saw in the past trauma-informed?” This is because treating trauma requires a specialized approach. You need a therapist that understands that your problem isn’t just psychological – it’s also physiological.

Years ago when I was going through my own trauma healing journey, I experienced the feeling that I was a hopeless case for therapy – until I found a therapist who actually got it. This is what led me to find Somatic Experiencing, a body-based approach to healing that focuses on working with the nervous system and re-establishing safety within the body. In this article, we will go over what somatic trauma healing actually is and how Somatic Experiencing can help you to heal trauma stored in your body.

What Is Somatic Therapy?

A somatic approach to trauma healing is based on the idea that trauma lives in the body. This is because when we experience trauma, our bodies respond in an effort to keep us safe. When trauma is not resolved, it remains in the body. Some symptoms of trauma stored in the body include: 

• Muscular tension

• Pain

• Digestive issues

• Chronic illness

• Sleep disturbances

• Hypervigilance

  
  

Somatic approaches to trauma healing, such as Somatic Experiencing, add a whole other level to traditional talk therapy. Unlike a solely talk-based therapy approach, somatic therapy can help to release trauma stored in the body. By incorporating a body-based approach, we are able to work with the nervous system to heal from trauma and re-establish safety within.

How Somatic Trauma Healing Works

Our bodies are wired for survival. Somatic therapy recognizes this and works with the nervous system to re-establish a sense of safety within the body. Our nervous systems are made up of two different subsystems – the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The job of the sympathetic nervous system is to alert and prepare the body for danger while the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for slowing us back down into a rest-and-digest state. When these two systems are online and working together, the body can maintain a balanced homeostasis. For someone with a nervous system that has been wounded by trauma, however, there is an imbalance. These humans often have overactive sympathetic or parasympathetic responses. This can lead to being in a constant state of flight, fight, or freeze.

Somatic Experiencing uses techniques to support the nervous system in healing from trauma. Here are some of the ones you might find in a therapy session for somatic trauma healing:

• Increasing body awareness. Somatic trauma healing is based on the innate wisdom of the body. But, we can’t access that wisdom if we aren’t connected to what is going on inside. This is why increasing body awareness is a foundational skill in Somatic therapy. 

• Sensation tracking. This is one way that you can increase body awareness. We do this by intentionally directing your attention to and exploring sensations within the body. 

• Pendulation. This is a technique that helps us tap into the nervous system’s natural rhythm. It helps to process difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed and to support the body in rediscovering the ability to regulate itself. 

  
  

For a little more thorough overview of Somatic Experiencing skills and insight into what a Somatic session is actually like, check out my blog post How to Heal Your Nervous System With Somatic Therapy.

Why Somatic Experiencing Is Effective

There are certain patterns that our bodies want to move through when responding to a threat. We see these patterns in other mammals living in the wild. If you have ever used the phrases “deer in the headlights” or “playing possum”, you are actually referring to specific stages in the stress response patterns of those animals. Similarly, our bodies are inclined to respond in certain ways when they sense danger. If the body is able to complete its threat response cycle, we are able to recognize that the danger is gone, re-establish safety, and move on. If the survival response is thwarted, however, we can become traumatized. Somatic Experiencing techniques help the body to release traumatic energy stored after a thwarted survival response. 

It may surprise you, but your body is already equipped with everything that it needs to heal. Despite the flack that many of us give our bodies, we were all born with this innate ability to overcome. Our incredibly wise bodies are designed to withstand trauma, but a lot of us have lost touch with them. Somatic Experiencing can help you reconnect in a way that feels manageable. By guiding the nervous system through small steps forward, somatic therapy can be an incredibly useful tool to help achieve emotional regulation and find safety in your body.

Is Somatic Experiencing Right for You?

If anything in this article resonated with you, you might be wondering if it’s worth giving Somatic Experiencing a shot. While it’s hard to know for sure without trying it, I have seen Somatic therapies be a game changer in treating a variety of issues. In my own practice, I often use it for clients struggling with anxiety, body image issues, eating disorder recovery, and healing childhood trauma. 

While Somatic Experiencing can be incredibly beneficial in helping release trauma stored in the body, it is important to do the work with a trained therapist who can offer containment, support, and clinical expertise. If it sounds like a somatic approach to trauma healing could be a good fit for you, I invite you to reach out and schedule a free 15 minute consultation.

I want to work with a Somatic therapist!